Glory Be to Jesus Christ!
🌞
Since in the works published at the following links:
https://churchandsociety.org.ua/pdf/projects/zbirnyk.pdf
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/17082024.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/27112024.html
it is written that the use of prepositions is important for the correct understanding of important and actual issues, in particular the issue of power, I am writing commentaries on the use of these prepositions. As a piece of advice on how to read the text, you can read the verse in translation and/or in the original (if you have the opportunity), and then the commentary on prepositions here. Next, you need to understand which part of the verse the commentary refers to, and consider what it affirms — or less often, denies — that is essential to understanding. This thoughtful reading helps to deepen understanding and protects against the mistakes mentioned above.
Romans XIII, 11 — ‘ἐξ ὕπνου’ - ‘ex hypnou’ - ‘from sleep; out of sleep’. The preposition ‘ek’ in its form before the next vowel indicates where the transition is from - from sleep to wakefulness. It is similarly used in the case of resurrection, in particular the Resurrection of Jesus Christ - from death to life.
Romans XIII, 13 — ‘ἐν ἡμέρᾳ’ - ‘en hemera’ - ‘in the day; during the day’. The second translation is more likely. A common expression.
Romans XIII, 14 — ‘μὴ ποιεῖσθε εἰς ἐπιθυμίας’ - ‘me poieisthe eis epithymias’ - ‘do not create into covetousness; do not create for covetousness; do not turn into desires’. There are different translations possible. The expression has many meanings. The key idea here is that a person can turn self-love and caring for their body into covetousness or use it for desire, which is exactly what should not be done. The preposition ‘eis’ here conveys the connotation of a change of the centre of action - from good care to evil sinful passion and covetousness.
Romans XIV, 1 — ‘μὴ εἰς διακρίσεις διαλογισμῶν’ - ‘me eis diakriseis dialogismon’ - ‘not for the discernment (judgement) of opinions (intentions, calculations, discussions, disputes)’. In other words, we should not take on the role of judges to condemn others, including our weak brothers and sisters, and we should not start a conversation in order to condemn a person or quarrel with them. These words of the apostle also indirectly refer to people (the apostle did not mean them, but their meaning is suitable for this case) who ‘take on the role of psychologists’, wanting to show their ‘superiority’.
For more on reading, please refer to the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/26022023.html
Matthew VI, 18 — ‘τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυφαίῳ- καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυφαίῳ’ - ‘to patri sou to en to kryphaio kai ho pater sou ho blepon en to kryphaio’ - ‘to your Father, Who is in secret, and your Father Who sees in secret (in hidden things; secret)’. What a person cares about, they receive as a reward, their actions bring certain results. So, if a person cares about human glory, they will receive it to a certain extent, but if they care about what only God sees, they will receive in return what God Himself gives. To this will be added everything else, and the heart of the person will be with God. That is why secrecy is not as important as sincerity and complete dedication to God. One can and should do good in public, but if one does it for God and not for human glory, then one will have a deep relationship with God, a heavenly treasure. The words about the secret have a different pedagogical meaning. People often want to imagine God in one way or another, but Christ says not to imagine God, but to try to reject motives that are not related to God, including the desire for purely human glory. If you do this, you will be able to approach God much better than with any imagination. Do you want to see God? Throw away everything that hinders this. Prayer may not reach God not because He is invisible or unreachable, but in particular because it may be combined with sin (which in Greek generally means ‘missed, missed the target’).
Matthew VI, 20 — ‘θησαυρίζετε δὲ ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ’ - ‘thesaurizete de hymin thesaurous en ourano’ - ‘lay up (accumulate, heap up, collect, store up) your treasures in heaven’. I wrote more about this topic at the following links:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8Iav6ssKOI/
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_C9Ad6sV1P/?img_index=2
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6UFRMqsq66/?img_index=1
For more on the reading, please refer to the following:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/26022023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!